10 policemen to be booked for 2005 Gomti Nagar encounter

Lucknow SSP Praveen Kumar confirmed he has ordered for lodging of FIR at the Gomti Nagar police station.

Lucknow SSP has directed to lodge an FIR against policemen who were part of the police team that killed three alleged unidentified robbers in an encounter in Gomti Nagar area in 2005.

The SSP ordered for lodging of the FIR following recommendations of CB-CID, which inquired into the case on the direction of NHRC, and found several loopholes in the police report related to the encounter.

Last week, the agency submitted its report to Lucknow SSP Praveen Kumar requesting to lodge an FIR against 10 policemen including then station officer of Gomti Nagar police station Nihal Ahmed on the basis of its inquiry.

Lucknow SSP Praveen Kumar confirmed he has ordered for lodging of FIR at the Gomti Nagar police station.

He added that they had sent autopsy reports of the alleged three miscreants to medico legal experts seeking opinion and the report confirmed that the trio was shot from a close range.

Three .315 bore country-made pistols and three empty cartridges of same bore were reportedly recovered from the spot, alleged to be carried by the three criminals, were also sent for ballistic tests. The test matched the arms and the ammunition.

The police team led by then station officer of the Gomti Nagar police station, Nihal Ahmed claimed to have fired over a dozen rounds during the operation, the official said.

As per police statement, the incident took place in the intervening night of September 2 and 3, 2005 when a PCR received a call by one SN Mishra informing some criminals had entered his house at Vivek Khand in Gomti Nagar.

A police team rushed to the spot and in an exchange of fire, three miscreants were killed. One of their associates, however, managed to escape.

The police claimed that the trio belonged to a gang, but none could be identified while the cops claimed to have taken all steps to ascertain their identity.

The District Crime Record Bureau (DCRB) and State Crime Record Bureau (CBCID), too, failed to get any details about their identity and the police submitted a closure report before the court.

The NHRC later, directed for an inquiry into the death of the three persons. The agency was conducting the inquiry since 2007.